Project Phoenix
by mellonelyqueen
Summary: What has Rei forgotten? There was something about Shiho... something that is vaguely familiar. What happened during that summer in England, which they both couldn't remember? Who is Vermouth, the woman who never seems to age? And Ano Kata? And what does the Phoenix and APTX4869 have to do with all this? ReiXShiho and other pairings; 1 year after the beginning of DC
1. Chapter 1 - Birth of the Phoenix - 1

Hello readers!

Welcome to my first fanfiction. It is slightly AU (for the characters' pasts) and will explore the history behind APTX 4869. It will also focus on ReiXShiho and other BO characters. It's sad that there are not many stories about ReiXShiho, although these two share so much in common (intelligence and past experience). Also, don't forget the past with Rei and Shiho's mother.

Since this is my first story, I would love some feedback.

Thank you and hope you enjoy!

P.S. Spoiler alert. I am watching the anime, so the storyline may be slightly different than that of the manga.

Genres: romance (pairings: ReiXShiho and possibly other pairings (I'm open to suggestions!)), science-fiction, and action (potentially)

WARNING: ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO THEIR RIGHTFUL AUTHOR. THIS WORK IS NOT FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSE.

 **Chapter 1 - Birth of the Phoenix**

* * *

 **A conference hall, New York, USA, 1980s**

" 'Death, the ultimate darkness, the end. Death, the untamable monster that deem the power of modern science useless.' What if I tell you that in ten years, these statements will only be history, because, in ten years, ladies and gentlemen, you will be able to cheat death," Atsushi Miyano announced boldly and waited for the ensuing uproar to calm down.

Head held high and eyes gleaming with confidence, Dr. Atsushi Miyano stood on the podium in his black tuxedo. He was young. _Twenty-six years old_ , Shari remembered the ID documents she was provided with that morning. _Finished undergrad in two years, master's in two, and PhD in four. Valedictorian._ The list of academic awards and research papers was long enough to fill a whole page. _A true genius, just like his wife._

Shari shifted her gaze to the British woman in a black formal dress, standing next to Dr. Atsushi Miyano. _Elena Miyano, former classmate, research partner, and wife of Dr. Miyano. Same age._ At the look of Elena Miyano, Shari could hardly believe that this young woman was in the category of 'mad scientists'. Unlike her husband, whose confident appearance seems to hide a more sinister nature, Elena Miyano beamed brightly with her rare smile whose warmth seemed to permeate through the skin and embrace the heart. Although Shari could hardly distinguish the woman's gaze because of the reflected light in her glasses, she could imagine the sweet, almost innocent gaze.

Another woman standing next to Elena Miyano caught Shari's eyes. The woman - or rather, girl - had auburn hair that draped around her shoulder and reached her chest, contrasting with the forest green dress she worn. Most striking of all was her grey blue eyes that reflected her Irish heritage and inspired the purity of newly formed ice. Shari faintly remembered that the Miyanos had a lab assistant, a remarkably intelligent intern who had graduated early from high school and was attending an Ivy League. _Eighteen-years-old... if I remember correctly. Another young and pure soul to fall into the darkness of insanity..._ Shari mentally observed with regret.

Dr. Atsushi Miyano explained in arcane scientific lexicon the results in preliminary research and experiments, and then his plans for his dream project, Project Phoenix, while advocating his cause by highlighting the benefits and the efficacy of the procedure. He then concluded, "... and we need your support to achieve this feat that will lead humanity to the future, to immortality. Project Phoenix currently requires..."

The amount of budget required was so tremendous that it was a challenge for the Miyanos collect enough funds. The project was the first of its kind, touching theories that still remain foreign to the scientific community. In other words, the probability of success was slim enough to discourage all the wealthy businessmen and aristocrats in the hall to invest.

Well, not all. One man with a growing dark and even repulsive obsession was insane enough to cover all funds. _And here is his secretary_ , Shari thought as she made her way to the Miyanos, who had left the podium. An amicable smile on her face, Shari presented herself as she shook their hands, "Hi. Nice to meet you. I am Shari Vidal from Blake Pharmaceutics, a multinational corporation that..." She offered a brief overview of the company's structure and most recent products, before remarking, "It's quite a project you've got..."

After some more compliments about the project, Shari explained her boss Arthur Blake's proposal, "We will cover all funds during the whole project period. In return, we would like you to work under the name of our company."

The Miyanos seemed surprised that they would receive enough funds so fast. Noticing their hesitation, Shari, always with the friendly smile she learned to wear so well, took out two business cards - one from Shari and the other from Arthur - for each of the Miyanos while she explained that the boss was on a business trip overseas and asked the Miyanos to contact the company if they make up their minds.

In her cab, Shari tried to make up for her previous sleepless night by dozing off, but could not. Project Phoenix kept coming back to her mind, like an ominous presence. She must admit it. As a child, she had once desired to live forever, but, now, the thought of eternal life was frightening. At that time, she could not pinpoint the exact reason, but she knew that there was an extent to which humans should interfere with nature. She gazed outside the window and saw the limpid sky with pure white clouds drifting like sails in a calm sea. Would she still be able to contemplate such a peaceful scenery once the project was completed? For some reason, she felt stupid, just as much as when she accepted to become part of Arthur's life. If there was a devil hiding from the light, she had just given it the darkness in which to emerge.

* * *

 **A restaurant in Tokyo, Japan, 2017 (present)**

The waitress pushed open the door to one of the private rooms of the restaurant. Eyes on his smartphone, a man in a business attire was sitting at one end of the ebony table. He seemed to be in his thirties and was adorned with elegant facial features. Vermouth - or any other girls - would have fallen in love at first sight had she not known the identity of the man. _Who is incredibly less attractive..._ Vermouth thought with disdain.

"My, my, Honey, you look handsome today," Vermouth managed to compliment in a casual tone, despite her increasing heartbeats. With each new step she took inside the room, she felt heavier, as if she was driving into fog on a small, rocky mountain road. _Perhaps, driving to my own doom..._

Without lifting his eyes from the phone, the man greeted her in his familiar austere tone, "Good evening, Chris. Take a sit. There's something we need to discuss about."

 _Discuss_ _..._ Vermouth prevented herself from sneering. When had they ever 'discussed' about a subject? For all these decades, she had only listened and obeyed.

The waitress came in to serve the dinner and the man waited after she left to begin his 'discussion'. As expected, the man asked Vermouth to complete a new mission. At least, this one was particularly interesting.

However, she had something more important to accomplish before. At this thought, she could hear her heart beating, threatening to burst out of her chest.

"How was your trip? You must be tired," she began after they had finished talking about the 'important matter'. The room seemed hot. Was the air conditioning on? She glanced at the control on the wall. _Yes, it is... Why does it feel so hot?_

"Here, let me pour you a drink," she announced, maintaining the innocent facade that her actress alter ego had practiced enough to deserve international recognition.

At the lack of response from the man whose eyes were glued again on his cellphone, Vermouth reached for the bottle and poured the liquor in a glass, barely noticing of the type of liquor. She took a deep inaudible breath, before reaching for the sachet in her jacket pocket. She discreetly tore apart the paper and let the white powder fall into the drink, while she kept an eye on the man who didn't seem to pay any attention to her.

"Here you go," she announced as she brought the drink to the man. She had to put in a tremendous effort to not let her hand tremble. She could not let him feel anything abnormal. She was performing perhaps the 'most' crucial task of her entire existence. _The last act to freedom_ , she noted mentally. No, Vermouth, the cold-blooded 'henchwoman' of Ano Kata and the alter ego of an Oscar winner, a simple singer in an infamous bar who rose to fame thanks to her versatile acting talent, would not blow her cover in this simple final act.

However, as much as she wanted to deny it, she would have completed this task in utter confidence if her target was anyone else. The man's appearance was as innocent as her own facade, but she knew that under this pristine skin hid a sinister viper that would strike at any mistake... or act of betrayal.

"Oh, that wasn't necessary, Chris," the man replied in his intimidatingly calm tone as she held him the glass. Suddenly, he lifted his eyes. Vermouth felt as if she was dragged into the two black holes of his dark irises. There was no escape to this darkness that could seep through the skin and into the soul, this darkness that could read the most hidden thoughts in any human mind.

She had lost... since the beginning, since the moment she entered this room. The man had known her intentions and had let her pour the drink, perhaps to confirm his last doubts. She was tricked.

"There is a far more intoxicating wine, here," the man remarked in a sinister tone as he stood up, reaching Chris' height. She knew well that he was referring to her and could feel herself shudder faintly. Slowly, with the pace of a beast surrounding its helpless prey, the man circled his long fingers around the glass, brushing Vermouth's hand. He was so close that she could feel her breath, as cold as his touch, so cold that it reminded her of a corpse. _A fitting metaphor..._ She would have sneered had she not felt so intimidated. Her body was so tense that she was unable to move and could hardly breath evenly. She released the glass without much resistance, then the man rested it on the table.

"It had this unrivaled sweetness and purity when I first tasted it..." the man continued unhurriedly as his cold finger slowly traced Vermouth's cheekbone, like a viper slithering on her skin."... but, as I took more sips, it became lethal."

The viper had stricken, his metaphoric fangs sinking deep into her flesh. The man took a step back, always in his frightfully slow pace, and dangled in front of Vermouth's eyes the sachet that was tore open.

Her hand automatically reached for her pocket. It was empty. She couldn't believe that she was so distracted by the man's dark presence that she had not noticed him pickpocketing her.

Nevertheless, she was the cold-blooded Vermouth and took only a short while to recover from the shock. Now that she was at distance with dark aura of that man, a mischievous smile appeared on her face.

"Looks like you caught me."

The man threw her a deadly glare.

"Don't do this again. You won't like what I will do to you, next time." Vermouth shuddered at the last sentence. The man couldn't kill her, but there was far worse than death.

"I will be expecting good news." The man took out a yellow folder from his dark brown leather suitcase and left it on the table, before leaving the room.

Vermouth felt like screaming and throwing all the glasses against the wall. _He tricked me._ The thought came back to haunt her. He had let her hope up just to shatter it with one fatal bite. As the cruel man that he was, he must have enjoyed watching her desperate, ridiculous struggle, before revealing to her defeated self the painful truth: there was no escape.

* * *

 **Café Poirot**

Rei finished cleaning the counter and yawned while stretching his arms. His shift was over. He glanced at the clock. _9 pm._ He mentally visualized his plan as soon as he would get home: taking a shower, then going straight to bed.

The last nights were sleepless with all his work for the National Police. He also encountered a murder case when he met Conan-kun and his friends in a mall. He had suppressed a chuckle when Haibara-san called him a "corpse magnet". The girl had this entertainingly sardonic sense of humor.

Talking about the girl, he felt that she was... special. She acted more like an adult than a child of her age. There was also her striking resemblance with Sherry. When Rei first met Haibara-san, he thought she was a lost distant relative of Shiho Miyano, who supposedly died in various rumored ways, the most believed one being in the Mystery Train. Rei knew well that Shiho had survived, somehow. His belief was more from a feeling than from the pure certainty of evidence... until he learned that APTX 4869 could cause de-aging. Everything suddenly made sense to him. The morning after Shiho Miyano's escape, a year ago, the BO had discovered that a pill of APTX 4869 was missing. Sherry had perhaps ingested it, turned into a child and easily escaped. She had then perhaps met Conan-kun by chance and been taken under Agasa-hakase's wing.

Since this realization, about two weeks ago, Rei had attempted various methods to approach the miniature version of Sherry. In other words, his meeting with the children in the mall was not exactly a coincidence.

His decision to uncover Haibara-san's identity was not caused by simple curiosity or pure commitment toward the BO or the Police, but, rather, by a silent promise. _Elena Miyano._ He remembered with nostalgia the reassuring smile, the sweet, soothing voice, and the warm touch of her hands as she bandaged him. He was still a child when he first met this woman. He got into fights often and others, the children as much as the adults, even his own uncle, just assumed that he enjoyed fighting and categorized him as a hopeless delinquent, gradually isolating him. The truth was, at that time, he had decided to ruin himself the most possible to, at first, get back at the parents who abandoned him, then at the others who alienated him. Elena Miyano had been the first to understand him and let him realize that all he did was part of a shameful act of self-pity. Since that moment, ashamed at his previously immature behaviour, he had began catching up in his studies and improving his personality to become a fresh person. Gradually, noticing his change, others had begun to include him in their circles. Had he never met Elena Miyano, he would have become the worst type of human being, hated by others, without knowing why.

When he began working for the Police and heard that, to his regret, the Miyanos died and left their children to the BO, he had decided to return Elena Miyano's kindness by protecting and, perhaps, 'saving' these girls. He had accepted the mission to infiltrate into the BO, which only a few agents wanted to take on due to the low survival rate. Since then, he had been observing the girls in the shadow - not in a dubious fashion. When Akemi Miyano died, he blamed himself as much as her irresponsible boyfriend, Shuichi Akai. He had also sworn that he would provide his utmost effort to prevent Sherry from experiencing a similar fate.

Rei changed his clothes and was about to push open the door when he saw Haibara-san in a fashionable red dress walking on the opposite sidewalk, with one filled plastic bag in each hand.

 _Grocery?_ She didn't seem to have noticed him, since her eyes were locked on the road in front of her. Rei decided to greet her, but froze when he saw a black van sliding silently behind the girl, at a distance safe from her attention. _Who are they?_

The car suddenly accelerated and parked next to road, in front of Haibara. Rei's heart skipped a beat when two men dressed in black from head to toes emerged from the vehicle and grabbed the struggling Haibara, one of them putting a wet handkerchief over her nose. _Chloroform..._

Rei dropped his belongings, his backpack, and rushed out of the café, but was too late. The men had already entered the car that was accelerating away. Without hesitation, Rei started his own car and chased after the van.

A thousand thoughts and possible scenarios crossed Rei's mind as he attempted to deduce the men's identities and their intentions. Could _they be...?_ Dread invaded him at the possibility of the BO's involvement. Nevertheless, these men felt different. Although they emitted sinister auras, they felt different than the BO members. _Another crime organization?_

The van turned at a corner. Rei kept himself at a safe enough distance to remain unnoticed. They entered a highway and drove toward the outskirts of the city. He followed the car around a couple of other streets small enough to be unidirectional and finally arrived at an abandoned warehouse.

 _One hour and twelve minutes_ , his mind recorded with as much accuracy the travel time as the itinerary. His photographic memory and deductive skills had always been the main reasons he survived so long.

Rei parked his car in a concealed spot, then felt for the gun in his jacket. He had charged it this morning. Noticing that he had all he needed, he left the car and prudently entered the warehouse, in which the sleeping girl was brought inside. He hid behind a stack of plastic barrels as his eyes scrutinized the concrete room. Apart from the few barrels and boxes that lay all over the place, the single light bulb hanging from the ceiling, covered with wire, pipes, and non functional fans, and the four adults under the light, the warehouse was deserted. He had heard that several warehouses around this area were being sold. Perhaps, this was one of them.

The four people were back to him, but he could make out from the voices, the hairstyles and the clothes that three of them were the men in the van and one of them, a woman. While the three men seemed to be at most in their thirties, the woman was middle-aged, with hints of white on her auburn haircut. Rei could deduce from her authoritative tone that she was the leader. Haibara was lying in front of them, still asleep from the anesthetic.

"A child? What do you plan to do with a child?" One of the men seemed particularly nervous. Rei noted from his silhouette that he was the driver. The man had been fidgeting since a while ago. Judging from his meager and weak physical constitution, Rei deduced that the man was an office worker, who despised physical exercises, but rarely ate much. He was probably a honest citizen until now, when he had committed his first crime.

The two other men had stronger builds and were calm enough to appear comfortable with their crimes. _Experienced criminals_... The nervous man was probably the woman's secretary and the two other men were hired henchmen. Rei remembered the bumps in the men's jackets when they caught Haibara. _They have guns and seem experienced in hand-to-hand combat._

Rei considered the possible actions he could take against them and considered his chance of winning against both of them in different scenarios. _Fifty-fifty_. He must admit, he was more experienced in reconnaissance than in fighting.

"She's the key to our trump card," the woman simply explained. She glanced at her golden watch - an expensive foreign one -, before commenting, "She should be awake by now."

As if her words were part of a magic spell, Haibara languidly opened her eyes. She seemed dazed for moment, before shock and fear darkened her expression.

"Don't worry. We mean no harm." The woman would have been more convincing had she not drugged the girl, tied her up, and forcibly brought her to a desolate warehouse.

"What do you want from me?" Haibara snapped, her eyes throwing daggers at the woman.

"As I said, we won't hurt you if you cooperate..." the woman reassured again, but the name she then pronounced made Rei skip a heartbeat. "... Shiho Miyano-san."

Haibara seemed more horrified than him, as if she had met the incarnation of Death. Hopefully, she didn't. Although the timing was not right, Rei felt proud that his guess was accurate.

At Haibara's silence, the woman continued in a patronizing tone, "I would like to tell you my name, but I would have to kill you. You just need to know that I am a friend of your parents. We have been working together for years. They are quite wonderful people and true geniuses. It's a shame that they died so young."

The shock on Haibara's face seemed to grow as the woman unveiled information about her parents that only a few share knowledge of.

"The thing is, your parents had something that also belonged to me, and they had left this thing in their younger daughter's hands, in other words, as an inheritance to Shiho Miyano."

"Hold on a second," Haibara, having regained her cool, cut the woman off. "There's a misunderstanding. I am Ai Haibara and I do not have any siblings. And this Shiho Miyano... How old is she?"

"Nineteen."

"Do I look nineteen to you?"

"Not now," the woman began. "I must congratulate you, Miyano-san. Thanks to your hard work, APTX 4869 has finally embarked on the right path, that is, as a fountain of youth."

As the words came out of the woman's mouth, Haibara seemed to have realized that there was no use acting anymore. Rei, who had decided to interfere as soon as possible, suddenly wanted to listen more about this conversation, to discover as much about this mysterious woman's intentions and origins as about Haibara/Shiho's own family history.

"Fine, what do you want?" Haibara asked in resignation.

"Half of your inheritance."

"Sure. I don't have much, just some recordings. You can take them all if you want," Haibara replied nonchalantly.

"I'm not talking about these. I'm talking about your true inheritance." At the sight of Haibara's confusion, the woman hinted, "The Phoenix."

At Haibara's silence, the woman realized, "You don't know anything, do you?"

The woman let out a derisive laugh that sent a chill through Rei's backbone, before talking to herself, "To think that I have wasted all this time..."

As an anticipation of her future actions, Rei mentally visualized the movements he had to perform to get Haibara and himself out. He then pulled out his gun.

"You two," the woman designated the two henchmen. "Finish her off."

"What do you mean by "finish her off"? She is a child! You can't kill a child!" The secretary protested fervently. Had he not participated in the kidnapping, Rei would perhaps become his friend.

"She has seen our faces," the woman stated as if her reasoning should have been obvious.

"It's not only about this," the secretary remarked. He seemed to have know the woman for a long time. Suddenly, an idea seemed to cross his mind. "It's about revenge."

The woman turned to her secretary as if he had pushed on one of her buttons. For the first time, Rei observed the cold, furious gaze in the grey blue of a stormy sea.

"You have been a great company, but you have grown quite annoying now. If you keep on this attitude, I will make sure you join this girl."

The secretary swallowed and became unnaturally quiet.

"Good, let's go." The woman motioned for the secretary to follow her.

Shortly after the two left, one of the remaining men pulled out his gun at aimed it at the forehead of the girl on the floor. For a brief second, Haibara showed fear, but, then, stared straight into the man's eyes without blinking. There was little time left. Rei made a last quick mental review of his plan, aimed his gun, then shot the man's hand that was holding the weapon. A husky cry echoed through the warehouse. Rei made a second shot at the light bulb.

The two men were far too skilled if he had to fight them face to face. The best way to escape was through darkness. Rei had already memorized the position of every object and person in the room and calculated the number of steps and time he needed to reach his target.

 _Two minutes starting now_. He swiftly dashed toward Haibara, avoiding the two men. Perhaps he was lacking in brute force, but his past training had provided him great agility. He heard a soft, shocked gasp as he untied and picked Haibara - who was surprisingly light for a child of her age - up in bridal style. Perhaps Rei was lucky that night, his escape out of the warehouse was swift and without much fight.

As Rei was running toward the car with Haibara, he heard her call his name, "Armuro-san." Her voice was a whisper. It was the first time he had heard this sweet tone from Haibara and it sounded absolutely adorable. He didn't have time to glance at her, but guessed that she was probably surprised and touched by his rescue and was going to thank him.

"Don't worry. You'll be safe soon," Rei reassured in his most soothing tone. If he was going to play the hero, he might as well continue until the end.

"You can put me down. I know how to walk," Haibara continued in a monotonous tone.

He felt as if Haibara had just punched him hard into the chest. He realized that the sweetness in her tone actually came from her sleepiness. The drug's effect had not completely worn off.

"Are you going to put me down?" Haibara asked in a more impatient tone.

Rei detected a hint of anger in her tone. Somehow, he had offended Haibara. He remembered from his observations of the children that the girl hated it when others underestimated her abilities. Perhaps, he had insulted her by picking her up.

A quick glance at the girl let him realize that she was blushing. _She's embarrassed?_ Rei suddenly remembered the girl's true identity. Considering she was actually nineteen-years-old, he realized that they were in a rather awkward position. One of his hand was covering the girl's shoulder, the other, supporting the back of her knees. He could feel Haibara's skin on her exposed shoulder, as smooth as a petal of blooming rose in the middle of summer. A faint vanilla perfume emanating from her strawberry blonde hair, perhaps that of shampoo, stimulated his nose. Had the girl remained still, anyone would have believed that she was one of those expensive, delicately confectioned human-sized dolls who never failed to attract customers through sheer cuteness. _And the faint pink on her cheeks..._ She was definitely the incarnation of innocent beauty. Rei couldn't prevent himself from blushing.

"Oh, sure... sorry," he stuttered as he gently let the girl down. The girl was now avoiding his gaze. _She's even cuter this way... Oh dear, what am I thinking? Focus._

"There they are!" A husky shout snapped the two back to reality. The henchmen had caught up, one of them ready to fire his gun.

"Quick. Hop in." Rei opened the car's door for Haibara - or rather Shiho - and took the driver's seat. Their car had not travelled for five minutes in the deserted nocturnal streets, when the black van was dangerously catching up. A shot resounded through the silence of the night. Almost instantaneously, Rei and Shiho heard a metallic sound on the metallic back of their car.

 _They are catching up and aiming at us._ Rei tossed his gun to Shiho and ordered, "Haibara-san, shoot the tires." Although Rei knew Shiho was not one to receive orders from anyone, Haibara obeyed in their critical situation as she let down the window and pointed her barrel outside. They were already on the highway and Rei was glad that only a few car passed by. He would hate that innocent citizens got caught up in their fight.

Rei changed the lane to facilitate Haibara's aim. As his eyes focused on the road in front of him, he heard a shot in his neighboring seat. A few seconds later, Haibara took another shot. This time, Rei heard the car behind them screech, then halt. He was rather surprised that Haibara aimed so well even in a different body. He let out a sight of relief.

 _We made it._ However, his joy was short-lived when he felt the cold metal of a barrel pressed against his head.

"As to what you have heard today..." Rei could hear the cold-blooded Sherry in the child's voice. Of course, Shiho wouldn't let him off easily for uncovering her identity, especially if she thinks his loyalty lies with the BO.

* * *

TBC


	2. Chapter 1 - Birth of the Phoenix - 2

Hey guys! Thanks for the support and the feedback! They really help :)

Here is the second part of Chapter 1.

Enjoy!

* * *

LAST TIME

We _made it._ However, his joy was short-lived when he felt the cold metal of a barrel pressed against his head.

"As to what you have heard today..." Rei could hear the cold-blooded Sherry in the child's voice. Of course, Shiho wouldn't let him off easily for uncovering her identity, especially if she thinks his loyalty lies with the BO.

* * *

"The least I would expect after saving someone is a "thank you"."

"Thank you. Now, we're even." Although the timing was wrong, Rei was still amused by Shiho's sarcasm. "To the left," Shiho ordered.

Rei obeyed and turned the steering wheel, not because of the gun pointing at his head. Being part of the reconnaissance party of the BO, he had learned various self-defense techniques through training and missions, enough to let him have the upper hand in his current situation. From the corner of his eye, he could distinguish the hint of fear in Shiho's eyes. Snatching the gun away from an opponent, especially one who was afraid, was a piece of cake. However, he would have to resort to violence, and the last thing he wanted was to hurt Shiho.

Rei's current plan was to stall time until he finds a non-violent way of evasion. He had considered coming clean, unveiling his secret identity as a police officer. He had always felt guilty that he had discovered Shiho's most important secrets, while she knew nothing about him. However, Rei knew that he would feel even more guilty when the knowledge of his secret identity would bring danger to Shiho.

They were then driving on a hill, away from the city lights.

"Stop the car," Shiho's cold voice resounded through the car after a couple of minutes on the hill.

The place was deserted, with thick forests on both sides of the small road. The absence of light mixed with the silence of the outskirts complemented the heavy darkness.

 _A pretty convenient place for a murder..._ He didn't have much time.

"Have you ever considered why I saved you?" he asked with a casual tone.

"To hand me in to the Organization and to get a promotion for your efforts," Shiho replied with a matter-of-fact tone.

"Seriously, I'm hurt." He actually was. Although he had expected Shiho to answer this way, a tiny part of him secretly wished that she would - one day - let down her guard around him.

An idea suddenly crossed his mind. He added, "I would never do any harm to Elena-san's daughter."

He saw the eyes wide in surprise.

"Mom... how... how do you her?"

"She saved my life," he began, nostalgia deep in his tone. Rei decided that Shiho had the right to know at least this. "I was nine, and my parents had just died in an accident. At that time, I couldn't understand. _Why did my parents abandon me? I am just a child. Why did all these other children still have their parents?_ The world seemed to be mocking me. I hated everything and everyone. I tried my best to destroy myself, because I wanted so badly to get back at my parents, at the world. At around this time, Elena-san came into my life. She told me to stop fighting and to become a good boy."

He could see Elena-san and her sweet smile. Her voice was stern, but covered with her familiar sweetness that always soothed him. He continued dwelling deeper in his memories as the emotions resurfaced, "Elena-san taught me that the world wasn't bad, that I was the one making it seem bad. She taught me that hating was futile, that, if I wanted to find happiness, I needed to love first."

Shiho was silent, but Rei knew that she was not convinced. He could still identify a spark of doubt in her eyes.

"In my left pocket. There's photo in a wallet."

He could feel the gun against his head tilt as Shiho stretched in her child's body to reach the wallet. She skillfully opened the wallet and extracted the said photo.

"It's..." This time, the shock was greater.

"Your mother gave it to me." Rei was lying. The photo had been attached to the documents he received for his current mission from the Japanese Police. However, this lie was the best resort he could think of at the moment. Shiho was not one to trust easily, after all.

"Summer 2006. Elena-san invited me to spend summer break in England." The part about the invitation was true, but Rei never met the Miyanos during that summer. He did go to England, but for a different reason. However, Shiho wouldn't know.

That summer, the eight-year-old Shiho had been saved from a house fire. It was a miracle that she survived physically unscathed. However, as Rei remembered the doctors' diagnostic from his Police documents, Shiho had been suffering from amnesia. The cause of this loss of memory of a whole summer was thought to be the shock of her parents' death.

Rei had always felt that a detail about this incident was strange, perhaps it was the fact that the Miyanos had died after the apparition of their daughter's amnesia... No, it wasn't. It was something closer to him... Rei couldn't pinpoint the cause of his uneasiness and decided not to for the time being.

He had more important matter to focus on, namely fabricating his story. Rei felt guilty about taking advantage of Shiho's amnesia - which still didn't recovered as he had observed. Again, he had no other choice, apart from unveiling his identity.

"You probably don't remember, but you used to like me really much. You followed me around and called me "Rei-nii"." He shut his mouth, biting hard on his tongue. How did these words come out of his mouth? He hadn't planned at all to say them, but they just came out of his mouth naturally.

This lie was too much. The worst was that he didn't feel as guilty as he expected. Strangely enough, the lie felt more like a truth. _Have I become such a compulsive liar who begins to believe in his own lies?_

He suddenly remembered a more worrisome matter. _This lie... I am sure she will see right through it. She'll probably shoot me now for the quality of lie and for hurting her pride... Oh dear, why did I have to add this last sentence?_ He glanced at Shiho, but was astounded when he realized that, instead of a deadly glare, Shiho had a reminiscent gaze, as if she had just remembered a long forgotten cherished memory.

 _My plan worked?_ Rei could feel Shiho's right hand, which was holding the gun, relax, then slowly lower. Rei let out a sigh of relief.

"Rei... nii..." The voice and especially the choice of words were absolutely adorable. There was something else. The voice sounded... _familiar?_ It was impossible. Rei had never met the 'real' younger version of Shiho and, surely, Sherry did never call him this. Perhaps she met someone similar or her memory was playing tricks to her, for the moment being, he should just play along.

As if realizing the title she used to call Rei, Shiho blushed in a deep shade of red. Rei could never have predicted that the usually cold-blooded and sardonic Sherry could show so many hints of embarrassment in a single day (or night). He smirked with amusement.

"What did you just call me?"

"Nothing."

"I sure did hear something."

"I didn't say anything! Where have you been, anyways? You just vanished one day, like a ghost, and no one ever heard about you." Shiho tried to change the topic.

Rei was dumbfounded by the familiarity in Shiho's tone. He could hardly believe that Shiho's memory was playing tricks to her, anymore. She acted as if she remembered clearly every detail of their fictional past encounters and friendship. _Perhaps she is pretending? No, it doesn't seem like it..._ An unsettling thought occurred to him. _Does she remember something that I don't?_ After all, Rei had also lost his memory of the whole 2006 summer.

 _That's not likely either..._ He had witnesses, and they had told him about his every action during that summer in England. Rei knew he had never met the eight-year-old Shiho. _Yet..._

He glanced at the younger version of Shiho in the photo. She was identical to Haibara, apart from her childish taste of fashion and the innocent, joyful gaze in her eyes, all reflecting her true age. No, he had never seen this child before... or perhaps, he did?

Rei felt a sudden throb of pain in his heart. What was this mixture of emotions that suddenly rushed to him? Despair, anger... guilt. Where did these come from? Most importantly, he felt like he had forgotten something... something so significant to him...

"Rei, watch out!" Shiho's scream about the imminent danger shattered his thoughts.

However, even with his reflexes, he was too late. He could not avoid the truck, so huge compared to their two-passengers car that it seemed like a mutant monster attempting to swallow them. Instead, the metallic monster pushed its prey with such a force that it toppled over the road and rolled down the hill, crashing into a tree and deforming like an empty aluminum can.

All this time, Rei held on to Shiho, hugging her close. The only thought in his mind was to protect her from the most damages possible. A sharp pain tore through his body as his mind fades into darkness.

* * *

TBC

Next part: the third and last part of Chapter 1

Will Rei and Shiho survive?

Who tried to kill them?

What is the part of Rei's memory that has been forgotten?

Thanks for your review :)


	3. Chapter 1 - Birth of the Phoenix - 3

Chapter 1 - Part 3

* * *

LAST TIME

He could not avoid the truck, so huge compared to their two-passengers car that it seemed like a mutant monster attempting to swallow them. Instead, the metallic monster pushed its prey with such a force that it toppled over the road and rolled down the hill, crashing into a tree and deforming like an empty aluminum can.

All this time, Rei held on to Shiho, hugging her close. The only thought in his mind was to protect her from the most damages possible. A sharp pain tore through his body as his mind fades into darkness.

* * *

The truck door opened, and the Goddess of Death emerged, her auburn hair falling on her back, like a bloody veil. The incarnation of Death shone her flashlight on her most recent prey: a car diagonally crushed against a sturdy tree, way down the hill.

The rear had received the greatest impact, since it was the largest part of the car that had hit the obstacle. However, she knew well that the chances of survival from such a fall were slim, even if the front, where the passengers resided, was barely crushed by the tree. Even if the passengers survived, they were surely unconscious and would become grilled meat. The fuel tank was broken, and the combustible would surely leak on the hot engine, causing a fire that would engulf the passengers. If the passengers were lucky enough to avoid all these scenarios, they would still perish by bleeding to death. No one would discover them in this deserted area and call for medical help in time.

"They're dead," she announced coldly to herself.

When her two useless henchmen had failed, she had decided to finish the simple job by herself. She had hot-wired a truck on the road, where its driver had left to take a break, and she had followed the car of his two preys through an inconspicuous tracker that one her henchmen had attached on the dress of the Miyano girl. The tracker was intended to lead her to the girl in case she refused to collaborate and managed to escape.

Yes, the auburn incarnation of Death had predicted everything - apart from the key fact that the Miyano girl knew NOTHING about her parents' trump card. Her blood boiled at the thought that she had wasted all her precious time and hope.

At least, the Miyano girl was dead. A sadistic smirk crossed on her face at the realization that every single Miyano had then finally met his or her tragic ending, the most justified type of punishment.

 _"It's about revenge."_ She wanted to strangle her secretary for always guessing so accurately her darkest thoughts, but he was too important. As much as she was annoyed by him, she needed him. He was her only reminder of her past self, the young, naive girl full of optimistic delusions, the girl who could feel so much guilt after experimenting on a live white mouse that she would have nightmares for days.

It's funny how a fraction of second could shatter all her beliefs and bring her on a fatal quest. Yes, she knew well how this quest would end. However, it was too late to turn back then. She had accomplished too much... She was already a different person, a woman with a stone heart.

Perhaps, the guilt from _that day_ was too strong that it overshadowed all her other feelings. She didn't feel any other form of regret anymore, not even when she murdered that childlike Miyano or that audacious - but innocent - man who cared too much about the cursed girl.

Thinking about that man, she remembered that he had been an interesting person. When her henchmen had given her a list of information on the Miyano girl's acquaintances during their research about her, at first, she thought the man was a simple barista. However, a simple barista - or even one who was also an amateur detective - would not possess this type of gun and such professional 'evasion' skills. The way the man swiftly escaped from the warehouse with the girl and skillfully handled the car was impressive. She would have loved to learn more about this person, but she had little time and he was dead anyways.

The woman opened her car's door to the passengers' seats, one of which was already occupied by her secretary. The man was holding his forehead - perhaps in exasperation - and mumbling to himself with words similar to "This is crazy...". He always had a soft heart, and this would probably become his cause of doom in this business.

"Where to?" the henchman on the driver's seat asked. His accomplice from the other seat of the front row also turned around his head to meet the woman's gaze.

"To the hotel. We'll take the earliest flight to England, tomorrow."

"I thought you've been to _that place_."

"There's something I missed."

* * *

It was dark. His ears were ringing. As he tried to move, a wave of pain made his breathing hitch. _What happened?_ He was in the car with Shiho... and something - a truck - hit them. He was then falling and rolling, like on a deadly rollercoaster, until the ride of death was finally stopped when the car had hit something tall and hard - an old tree. They were then separated by the impact. He had then received a concussion and fallen unconscious. Judging from the coldness of the temperature, invading the inside of the car - whose windows was then shattered to pieces - and the heavy darkness, itself, Rei realized that only a couple of minutes had passed since their fall.

During the whole fall, his arms were around Shiho, attempting to protect her from all the shock. He knew that his position was not an optimum one for his survival. However, he had calculated that, if anyone was to survive from this deadly crash, the small-sized Shiho would be the lucky one. Rethinking carefully, Rei realized that, had the situation been otherwise, he would perhaps also have done the same. He couldn't betray his promise to Elena-san... No, there was more than this silent promise. The mere possibility of Shiho's death was unthinkable. Rei suddenly felt a strangely familiar tinge of guilt.

 _Shiho... Where is she?_

His eyes slowly grew accustomed to the darkness, and he began to identify the elements of his surroundings and assess his situation. The left side of the car's rear was significantly crushed by the tree, which pushed the metallic shell of the car toward the inside. The part of the door to Shiho's seat, closer to the rear, was also deformed and sank toward her. Luckily, she was small enough to avoid being crushed. She seemed to still be unconscious.

Rei lifted his left arm, ignoring the unbearable wave of pain. He was surprised that the arm wasn't broken and glad that Shiho was close enough for him to not lean closer with his painful body. His fingers felt for Shiho's pulse on her neck.

Nothing.

His eyes grew wide with horror. No, this couldn't be. His fingers were perhaps still numb from the shock and couldn't feel her pulses. Shiho was alive. She must be. Her body was too warm for her to be dead.

Of course, as a detective, he knew that a body would stay warm a while even after death. However, he wanted - so badly - to fool himself.

 _No, no, no... She can't be dead._ Shiho had more chances to survive. If anything, he should be the one to perish.

Suddenly, he felt a barely noticeable pulse, then another.

He realized that, perhaps, the pulses had always been there. The pain had caused his fingers to become numb to such subtle sensations.

 _Her heart is beating._ Indeed, she was alive, although barely.

Rei smiled, despite the pain in each of his muscles.

Another realization suddenly crossed his mind. _The car's rear is crushed. The fuel tank is probably leaking._

The car may catch on fire anytime. He had to leave with Shiho as fast as possible.

He tried to move his body, but a wave of excruciating agony overshadowed the fainter throbbing pain in his whole body. He realized that part of the right side of his waist was cut open, perhaps by a sharp piece of metal, and that he was bleeding... to death. He had be overwhelmed by pain from so many parts of his body that he had been unable to identify the key origins of his agony.

The wound was deep, perhaps even touching his kidney. His previous movement had caused a significant quantity of blood to gush out. He tore off the lower part of his T-shirt and attached it around his waist, pressing it against his wound - which was thankfully not too large to be difficult to cover. Of course, he couldn't stop all the blood from streaming out, but his 'bandage' was enough for him to carry Shiho out, to call for an ambulance with his phone - which was thankfully still functional, courtesy to the Police's anti-shock model made for secret agents like him - and - if he was lucky enough - to receive medical help before he bleeds out.

He unbuckled his seatbelt and pushed open the door from his side, which was already slightly open due to its deformation. Rei then reached for Shiho and carried her out. He realized that she was covered in warm blood. Some was still liquid and dripped down from his arms and the couple of fresh gashes on them. Perhaps, the blood was his own. Shiho didn't seem to have any grave injury.

As if on cue, the car lit up as soon as Rei arrived at a safe distance. He lay the small Shiho on the grass and covered her with his jacket, protecting her from the cold. Rei then sank down on his knees, trying to catch his breath. Each of his movement - even a simple step - had sent stabbing pain through his whole body. He dared to believe that an ordinary person would not have been able to travel such a distance with a deeply cut waist and a slightly crippled leg, even less while holding a child. At least, all the excruciating - and dreadful - training in the BO had allowed him to gain some pain tolerance.

Rei dialed the right combination and asked for medical help. The lady on the other end reassured that two ambulances would arrive soon - meaning "in thirty minutes", since they were in a remote area. She gave a couple of directives - which Rei had already practiced enough to learn by heart - to keep the two victims alive.

As Rei waited for help, he tried to fight a growing dizziness. He was truly bleeding to death. Rei had seen enough to know that the ambulances would arrive too late.

At least, they would find out that the little girl had survived.

* * *

 _"Rei-ni! Rei-nii!"_

 _"Oh, Shi-chan! Miss me already?"_

 _"Of course."_

 _"Hello, Rei-kun!"_

 _"Elena-san! How are you doing?... Is something the matter?"_

 _"Yes, I need to discuss with you about something. I am so sorry, Rei-kun."_

* * *

"Furuya-san. Furuya-san!" He felt a light tug.

Silence.

"Rei-kun..." She sounded defeated.

This voice... it was so familiar. He suddenly realized the identity of the owner.

All the events of the night suddenly resurfaced in his mind. _Shiho, the kidnapping, the car accident... and my wound._ He had been bleeding for too long and began to see dark spots - although his surround was equally dark. He didn't remember exactly when, but, at some point, he lay down and fell asleep, although he knew - or thought - it was his last time.

Rei was alive, and he was sure that he wasn't dreaming. Strangely, the excruciating pain had disappeared, leaving only faint echoes. He could feel coldness dissipating from the hard, uneven and wet ground below him. A smell of grass, dirt, and burnt metal invaded his nostrils. He was perhaps still lying on the ground.

A drop of water fell on his cheek. It felt... _warm?_

Realizing the nature of the 'water', Rei mentally smiled. He never thought that Shiho had the sentimental type in her.

"Don't cry, Shiho-chan. You are not cute like this," he began as he opened his eyes and could imagine Shiho's shocked gaze in the darkness.

Rei knew that, in any other less dire situations, Shiho would have punched him for these words.

However, she was so surprised that she ignored his words. "How? You didn't have any pulse."

 _Déjà-vu?_ Rei wasn't sure about the origin of this feeling.

He tried to sit up, but gasped as the pain from his waist spread through his body.

"Don't move. You're lucky. The incision is on the surface and has not touch any important blood vessels..." Shiho had regained her cool and was offering him a professional diagnosis of his wound as an experienced biochemist. "However, you should avoid any movements that may cause unnecessary bleeding."

Part of her analysis didn't feel right to Rei. He was sure that his wound had been deep enough to cause extensive bleeding. Had his own analysis been wrong?

From far away, they could hear sirens. Rei remembered.

"I called the ambulances," he explained to Shiho, who was probably confused. "They are coming."

"I see." He could hear a hint of relief in Shiho's monotonous tone.

A couple of minutes later, the ambulances arrived and the paramedics rushed out. They stabilized Rei on a stretcher and lifted him in the air.

"Shiho-san," Rei called before leaving.

"Hmmm?"

"Thank you." He could feel Shiho's confusion and light embarrassment. _Thank you for your tear._

* * *

 **Half a day later**

"How's the recovery, Bourbon?"

Since his arrival at the hospital and the operation for his wound, Rei had been bombarded with visitors, namely by Conan-kun, his 'sister' Ran, their friends, and his coworkers from Café Poirot. One of his most memorable visits was that of Sonoko, who couldn't believe that such an accident - as the police believed - could happen to a "handsome" barista. Out of respect, Rei refrained from laughing at the dramatic rant.

Shiho had also visited, bringing him a bottle of juice that she bought from the hospital's vending machine. Impressed by the gesture of the typically cold Sherry, Rei teased her about not bringing roses instead. Of course, he earned a deadly - but also slightly embarrassed - glare.

Thinking about Shiho, Rei had remembered that the doctors were impressed with her condition, explaining that she had come out literally unscathed, apart from a few scratches. Perhaps, hugging her during the fall had worked or they were 'extremely' lucky.

After all the cheering, yet tiring visits, Rei had planned to doze off on his comfortable, soft bed, when the door opened and a tall blonde with an elegant frame and dark sunglasses covering her eyes for the sake of anonymity entered.

"Fast and swift, Vermouth, but I'm sure there's more to this visit."

"Your mind is as sharp as always, Bourbon," she replied with her trademark seductive smile.

* * *

TBC

END OF CHAPTER 1

Okay, sorry, I lied. We still don't know about Rei's lost memory. You'll be able to find out in the chapters to come. ;)

Next chapter: The hunt for the Phoenix begins...

See you next time!


	4. Chapter 2 - Wake of the Phoenix - 1

Hello readers!

This is the first part of Chapter 2 - Wake of the Phoenix. Here, "wake" takes on a slightly different definition than "birth" (from my first chapter, Birth of the Phoenix). You'll find out about it, soon. ;)

Have fun reading!

Thank you Angel-Chan234 for your regular supportive reviews. :)

 **Chapter 2 - Wake of the Phoenix**

* * *

"The Phoenix? Isn't it the bird, Aniki?"

"It's the Miyanos' last project."

"I thought it was the Silver Bullet..." Vodka threw an inquisitive glance to his accomplice, whom he considered as his leader.

"Seems like the Miyanos had completed something in secret... after their betrayal." Gin did not need to say more, because all high-ranking members knew which event he was referring to.

"But what is this "Phoenix"?" Vodka couldn't hide his curiosity.

"Some say it's a lab-raised creature, based on the mythical bird. Others say that it's the true APTX 4869, an elixir that can raise the dead. There are also stranger theories. No one has seen it, after all."

"What do you think it is, Aniki?" They were riding Gin's prized Porsche 356A on a highway to Tokyo. The wine red sky announced the arrival of nighttime. A couple of cars sped past, their motors roaring above the silent hum of the Porsche.

Gin smirked. Knowing Gin, Vodka decided that his belief lay within the "stranger theories" category.

* * *

 **Night, Tokyo**

As soon as Gin left the Porsche with Vodka inside, 'keeping an eye', the annoying blonde emerged out of the crowd and called for him, "Hey, Gin! Looking handsome today. Ready for our date?"

Gin ignored the comment about the absence of his usual black fedora. He was wearing a black tuxedo, because, out of all people, he had to be Vermouth's escort for her mission at a party. There were some disadvantages for being one of Ano Kata's (A/N: In English, this means "that person".) most trusted underlings.

Vermouth, in a rather revealing and alluring black party gown, was smiling at him seductively, attracting the lecherous gazes of some male passersby.

" _That person_ was in a foul mood, yesterday. Did you guys 'break up'?" he retaliated.

For a moment, Gin could feel a sinister aura emanating from Vermouth, like a dark fire burning inside her. He knew that if they weren't in public, she would have threatened him with her gun.

"Not at all," Vermouth quickly recovered and replied lightly. "I just tried having some fun, but you know how serious he is. Well, that's what makes him equally charming, just like you." She flashed him another one of her disturbingly flirtatious smile.

 _That woman..._ Gin decided to change the topic, "Seems like Bourbon got into a car accident."

Although the news coverage never revealed the two victims' identities - surely, by their requests for privacy, the BO obtained most of the details about the 'accident' from Bourbon, himself, and some 'rats' inside the Police Station.

However, the pieces didn't fit, after Gin re-analyzed the reports. If Bourbon had just saved a girl from human traffickers - which, in Gin's opinion, was a waste of time - and tried to evade from the same pursuers, why did they drive toward the outskirts and not into the city, where they could have obtained help from the police? Of course, Bourbon had provided justifications in his report, but they all seemed like excuses for Gin. _Bourbon is hiding something... perhaps something about that girl..._

"There was a girl with him," Gin continued as he threw an inquisitive glance at Vermouth, who had just visited Bourbon, perhaps to obtain more details about the accident.

"Ah, that girl!" Vermouth answered in her casual tone after - pretending to be, as Gin guessed - thinking for a while. "She's a regular at his café."

"And he went through all this trouble," Gin was referring to the rescue. "That's out of character, even for him."

"Who knows? Maybe he has a crush on her," Vermouth replied lightly and flashed him that mischievous smile - again.

 _A crush on an nine-year-old... that woman..._ Gin was definitely annoyed.

* * *

 **A week later, Café Poirot**

Shiho sipped absently from her smoothie as she watched her Rei-nii - she blushed at this honorific - serve a couple two plates of his trademark sandwiches. He was slightly limping, perhaps because his waist wound had not completely healed. Nevertheless, it was barely noticeable.

A few years ago, Shiho had woken up in a British hospital and learned two of the worst news she had ever heard: her parents had died in a fire and she had lost two whole months of memories. The doctors had explained that the latter was caused by shock. Since then, Shiho had been trying to remember.

When Rei had mentioned that summer and the word "Rei-nii", Shiho had been shocked at how familiar all these sounded. Suddenly, fragments of that summer came flowing into her mind. The mansion where she had been living for a whole year, her first meeting with the childishly cheerful tanned boy that her mother had invited from Japan... Shiho remembered that she had been - shamefully - hiding behind her mother the whole time. She had been a shy child, even around those of her age. No, actually, she had considered these children too immature; she had preferred burying herself in documentaries on biology and chemistry.

At some point, perhaps because of the tanned boy's persistence in becoming her "friend", she had finally agreed for a game of hide-and-seek. She had considered the boy incredibly dense for not taking a hint when she had ignored him for two full weeks, having decided that there was no point in making a friend - and especially not with someone as blunt and childish as him.

However, she was surprised that she had actually enjoyed that game of hide-and-seek. Shiho could vaguely remember the details of all their ensuing encounters. As much as they had played the games she had deemed too childish for her taste, they also had explored the neighboring towns and forest. She had been surprised that the boy was actually intelligent and knowledgeable - despite his appearance. The boy was also strong and agile, being able to climb a tree so swiftly. Above all, he was honest, generous, and... pleasant to stay with.

Then, Rei-nii left, or rather, Shiho couldn't remember when he exactly vanished. Her memory about the end of that summer in England was still a blur. Later, when she had woken at the hospital, Shiho had felt empty, as if part of her was missing. She had thought that it was due to her parents' death, but, perhaps, there was more to it...

It didn't matter anymore. Rei-nii was there. Her Rei-nii...

"Blushing while stalking a guy, huh?" The far-too-observant miniature detective's snide comment made Shiho's cheeks heat up even more. At least, that Kudou-kun had the decency to whisper to her in front of the children, who were now having a heated conversation on some anime.

"I'm just keeping an eye on him. He knows my identity, after all," Shiho explained - rather unconvincingly.

"At least, I'm not living under the same roof as my girlfriend, while pretending to be a 'cute, innocent' child, unlike a certain detective," Shiho then retorted with a smirk.

It was the miniature detective's turn to blush in a deep shade of red.

"I had no choice!" he defended himself, trying to keep his voice as low as possible to avoid being heard by unwanted ears. "And Ran's not my girlfriend."

"Sure, sure," Shiho replied lightly and returned to her 'observation'.

Shiho didn't want to call it "stalking", because it wasn't - maybe. Since her realization of Rei-nii's - God, she had to stop using this honorific. - true identity, she had wanted to discover more about his current life - apart from being Bourbon or an agent of the Japanese Police, an identity she later found out from Edogawa-kun.

Shiho only visited Rei once in the one day she stayed at the hospital. She had decided that she had to, at least, thank him for the rescue and bought a bottle of juice, but this guy dared to ask for roses - red roses - instead. Shiho had been kind enough to show mercy because of the state he had been in, lying in the hospital bed. She had ignored the comment and wanted to ask him the question that had been nagging her, the one about that summer. Shiho must admit. She was disappointed when she had realized that Rei didn't seem to remember much about that summer - or he was trying to avoid the topic.

The real "investigation" began when Rei came out of the hospital. Shiho had 'coincidentally' visited the same convenience stores and other place as Rei and 'coincidentally' felt hungry for sandwiches - three times in a week - when the Detective Boys went visiting Edogawa-kun at the detective agency, upstairs. Rei's undercover life was - surprisingly - ordinary and turned around his work at the Café. Although Shiho knew her feeling was shameful and immature, she still felt a hint of annoyance every time she notices Azusa-san working with her Rei-nii.

Rei didn't seem to have noticed Shiho during her past 'investigations' - or he was pretending not to. At least, he didn't say anything.

Shiho watched Rei serve a cup of smoothie to another client. Suddenly, as if feeling her gaze, Rei turned around and winked - yes, winked - at her, before walking to another table.

"Ai-chan, are you alright? Your face is all red. Do you have a cold?" the innocent Ayumi-chan asked with concern.

Shiho heard Kudou snicker and noticed the wide, arrogant, and amused smile appearing on Rei's face. She wanted to dig a hole and bury herself in it.

 _Oh, these two are so going to pay for it._

* * *

TBC

This part was particularly light. Hope you enjoyed it!

As always, reviews are greatly appreciated :)

Next update will be part 2 of chapter 2.

See you next time!


	5. Chapter 2 - Wake of the Phoenix - 2

Hey guys!

Welcome back to Project Phoenix - Chapter 2 - Wake of the Phoenix!

The light mood from last time now leaves place for a darker one ;)

Question: what nationality is Vermouth? I know she's from the US, but what is her ancestry?

Thanks and enjoy!

* * *

 **Hospital in England, Summer 2006**

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Pain. Excruciating pain. It invaded each of his muscle and stole his breath.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

 _What happened?_ His head felt heavy, and, each time he tries to remember, a stabbing - mental - pain tortured him.

"Furuya-san, are you awake?"

 _That person..._ He had met the owner of the voice in the States... in a university exchange program. They had quickly become friends. They shared so much in common, from their passion for martial arts to that for deduction games and detective fiction.

However, they were also different. Rei could remember the man's stoic expression that made Rei doubt if he could ever become friends with this man, on the first day of school. Later, Rei had found out that the man was - actually - shy. The man sat alone during lunch and never hang out with a specific group - the students only approached him to ask him questions about the courses or to join their martial arts team.

At first, Rei hadn't taken much notice of that man. At the first day of his fresh academic experience, he had been surrounded by amicable classmates, mostly girls. Some of them had even asked him to accompany them to the homecoming party. The boys were also equally friendly to Rei - until they realized that their girlfriends or crushes had hit on him. (Secretly, Rei shamefully enjoyed his 'socializing skills'.)

 _When did I become friends with him?_

Rei first noticed his silent classmate when the latter pointed out an error in his quantum professor's explanation. As the arrogant man he was, the professor had debated with and lost against the student during the whole class - with three quarters of the students either staring blankly at the arcane lexicon and theories, checking their phones, or chatting with their friends about their weekends. Rei had followed the heated debate to, perhaps, half of it, until the girl sitting next to him and - worryingly - observing him decided to ask him out.

Since then, Rei had been fascinated by his classmate's extensive knowledge and deep understanding of course material, but his most intense curiosity began when he witnessed the man solve a murder case that occurred in an alley near their school. Rei was ready to explain his own deductions to the police, when the said classmate pointed out - accurately - the murderer, the owner of the bakery who had a skewed interest toward the female victim.

Who was that mysterious, silent man who had deductive skills on par with Rei - who had been anonymously helping the Japanese Police, understood quantum physics better than a professor with decades of experience, and fought single-handedly the bulky bakery owner with all the coolness of an skilled fighter?

At that moment, the said man had become Rei's object of curiosity. Rei had sat next to the man during lunchtime and during the classes they shared - which were most of them. As the shy man he was, his classmate first seemed to ignore Rei's presence, only responding when he was asked questions.

Eventually, the man opened up. Although the said classmate never talked about anything with apparent passion, Rei noticed that he dwelled on detective novels and real-life cold cases - which Rei also loved discussing about.

 _That man..._

They became friends, even best friends, but stopped contacting each other a while after Rei returned to Japan - partly because of Rei's training as an agent for the Secret Police.

 _But why is he here?_

Rei remembered faintly that he had contacted this friend, whom he still - strangely - trusted more than anyone else, despite the breach in connection for such a long time.

 _Why?_

Excruciating pain filled his head.

He slowly lifted his eyelid and uttered, his dry throat hurting, "Shuichi..."

Rei tried to move, but realized that most of his body was restrained by bandages.

"What happened?" Rei asked, his voice betraying his horror.

"You don't remember?" For a second, Rei thought he noticed surprise replace the man's typical stoic expression. Then, even Rei - who had been so close to Shuichi and who could read most people's minds - couldn't guess his thoughts at all.

However, Rei had the impression that Shuichi was hiding the truth.

"The doctors said it is highly probable that you wake up with amnesia due to shock," Shuichi stated.

"Shock?"

"You were chasing a criminal for your mission from the Japanese Police, got caught in a warehouse fire, and received a concussion. You were lucky that you got out before the place exploded."

Rei scanned his friend's face and noticed the patch and burn marks.

"Did you...?"

"You called me for some backup, since I was already in England."

Yes, his friend had joined the FBI and was skilled enough to participate in his mission.

However, something about what Shuichi said didn't seem right. Rei was sure that he had forgotten an important detail.

"The Japanese Police has been informed about your situation. You should rest. I'll be back tomorrow," Shuichi announced, never showing any emotion. Rei knew that his friend was secretly concerned and promised his friend he would get better with a cheerful smile.

Right after Shuichi left the hospital room, Rei fell deep in thoughts.

 _What have I forgotten?_ Rei felt empty, as if he had lost his heart.

* * *

 **Present, Beika**

The alarm clock screamed in his ears.

Rei opened his heavy eyelids and met the blazing sunlight.

 _7:00 am._

Rei stretched his arms. Strangely, he felt as if he had given all his efforts just to perform the latter simple action. Rei decided that the three hours of sleep due to police paperworks was tiring. After hearing about his accident, a week ago, the Police had decided to give Rei some break with paperworks instead of more physically demanding tasks. Rei was technically 'on break'.

It took even more efforts for Rei to lift himself from his bed. However, as soon as his body shifted from horizontal to vertical, Rei felt his stomach churn.

Despite the numbness of each of his muscles, Rei ran to the bathroom and emptied his stomach in the toilet bowl. Rei knew that the bowl could only contain its usual 'water' and gastric acid. In other words, his stomach had been empty since the day before.

During the past week, Rei had noticed that he felt a growing distaste toward any types of food. Originally, he thought the painkillers and other medical drugs he consumed for his recovery were the causes.

However, Rei had not taken any prescriptions since a few days. The drugs should have gotten out of his system.

Rei knew that he didn't really have a 'distaste' for food. He was still attracted by the delicious perfume of the meals, but, as soon as he swallowed them, his stomach rejected them all.

Rei had then thought that he may have gravely injured other parts of his bodies during the 'accident', but was sure that the "best doctors" of the hospital couldn't misdiagnose his condition during his stay at the hospital. Besides, when he left the hospital, with all the medical knowledge he had from his detective career, Rei knew that he didn't have any other grave wound.

 _Then, what is causing all this?_ Other than his new automatic 'meal-skipping routine', Rei had noticed more symptoms.

His five senses were becoming increasingly numb. Similarly, he found it increasingly difficult to coordinate his muscles. He felt that there was a time lag for his fingers or foot to respond. At first, Rei thought all this was caused by his long stay at the hospital and his lack of exercises, but realized that his condition didn't improve, after his exit from the hospital and he returned to his 'healthy' routine.

Worse, Rei easily sprained himself with slightly demanding physical exercises at first, such as push-ups and sit-ups, then with supposedly effortless activities, such as walking.

Rei was sure that his physical condition couldn't have regressed to such extent only after his stay at a hospital for a waist wound "on the surface".

 _Then, why?_

During the last two days, Rei had also noticed an increasingly pungent smell - the smell of the dead bodies he was so familiar with. Unlike his initial belief, the smell wasn't from his sweat-infected summer clothes. Besides, the odors weren't the same. Rei noticed that the typical smell followed him even during a shower. Even the milky scent of the soap couldn't cover the scent of decay.

Rei had then began his routine of applying an excessive quantity of cologne. However, Rei knew that this couldn't solve the problem. Maybe, he needed to visit the hospital again for a check-up... _just to be sure_ _._

He would contact the hospital tomorrow, because, today, he had to prepare for an "important event". The Detective Boys - who apparently enjoyed his company - had insisted on throwing a "Welcome Back" party for Rei's recovery. The children had then chosen Agasa-hakase's enormous house as the party location and invited some of Rei's acquaintances, including Ran and Azusa.

Rei's main motivations were - of course - his curiosity toward Shiho's current home, which he had only previously seen briefly, and his desire to tease the girl a bit. Although he pretended to not notice at first, Rei had realized that the girl had been 'investigating' him by following him at almost every place he visited.

Rei knew that his conversation in the car with Shiho had allowed her to recover part of her memories about him - which he still has no recollection of - and led to her curiosity about his actions.

Rei didn't feel offended at all. Shiho's attitude made her pretty cute.

Rei smiled amusingly when he remembered Shiho blushing after he winked at her.

Again, Rei told himself that he would never have thought that the cool, sardonic Shiho was so easily embarrassed.

 _And she looked just like a doll with the blushes..._

Rei's daydreams were shattered when he remember the darker reason for his attendance of the party. Right after his admission to the hospital, Vermouth had visited him and explained Ano Kata's new mission for him.

Apparently, Ano Kata's trust toward Bourbon made him eligible to participate in the current 'top-secret' mission of the BO, which only a few had knowledge of. The said selected few were actually only three people: him, Gin, and Vermouth, who - of course - had more information than anyone else.

That day, Vermouth, as always, had revealed just enough for Rei to proceed into his mission, but to remain unaware of Ano Kata's true purpose.

However, the mission from that day had still provided Rei enough for a justified guess, perhaps thanks to some coincidences.

The photo of the target in the folder that Vermouth provided represented a familiar figure.

It was one of the Detective Boys, and his brother is supposedly the redhead kidnapper's secretary, from the other night.

* * *

TBC

Thanks for your reviews! They are greatly appreciated.


	6. Chapter 2 - Wake of the Phoenix - 3

**Chapter 2 - Wake of the Phoenix - Part 3**

* * *

 _"Shiho-chan, y_ _ou see that door, right there? Go through it and follow the arrows to the tunnel. Once you'll be there, run to the end."_

 _"What about you?"_

 _"I'll be right behind you."_

 _"As if."_

 _"Smart girl... you saw right through me. Don't worry. I'll catch up as soon as possible."_

 _"Don't..."_

 _"Shiho-chan, y_ _ou are a bright, charming and very brave lady. Thanks to you, I had so much fun for the first time. I want to protect you and all the wonderful memories from this summer._ _"_

 _"You can't win against them... We'll fight together."_

 _"No, that's not your mission. You need to be safe, for your parents... and for the world."_

 _Heavy footsteps resounded from far away._

 _"They're coming. Now, go."_

 _He expected her to protest more, but only noticed tears streaming down her cheeks and an understanding nod. He could imagine her pain, the sorrow that pulled on the heart and suffocated its victim. And she was there, nodding, determination gleaming in her eyes, despite the pain, despite this desperation that even adults could hardly fight._

She'll become someone great. _He shone his cheerful smile to her. He'll protect her; he'll fight for her. It was the right thing to do._

* * *

Rei lifted his eyelids and glanced at the clock.

 _2:54 pm._

He had fallen asleep after vomiting during the whole morning. His whole body, especially his head, had been invaded by waves of pain. He couldn't recall the exact time, but he fell asleep on his couch due to the subsequent dizziness.

He had to see a doctor soon.

 _I better get going._

Before the party, Rei had to buy some grocery to fill his empty fridge and cupboards, just in case his stomach felt better. He also had promised to help prepare dinner for the party.

As he walked outside - after covering himself with enough cologne to cover the obnoxious smell of decay, Rei remembered fragments of his dream. He was walking quickly, almost jogging toward somewhere... or rather from someone. A girl was with him. She had strawberry blonde hair and had the height of an eight-year-old.

 _Shiho..._

The little girl in his dream had a more innocent gaze, although it possessed such a hint of maturity that is uncommon in children of her age. Nevertheless, Rei was sure that the girl was Shiho, perhaps her real eight-year-old-self.

 _Why did I dream of her?_

Rei had heard that dreams often reflect one's inner desire.

The tanned man blushed. No, he wasn't thinking of Shiho 'that way'...

Although Shiho had often crossed his mind since a week ago, since he had discovered - or rather, confirmed - that the little Haibara was Shiho, Rei was intrigued by the past he supposedly shared with her, but could not remember, and was not satisfying some fantasies of his... at least, not substantially. The way Shiho had been following - or 'investigating' - him made it impossible for him to forget about her intense gaze and adorable attitude.

Coming back to the dream, Rei had a strange feeling of _déjà vu_ , although he did not recall at all the fragments of his supposed shared past with Shiho. No, amnesia was not the only problem. 'Facts' contradicted the possible existence of that past. The Japanese Police and anyone else who could have been witnesses all denied his meeting with Shiho during that 2006 summer.

The headache came back. Rei didn't know what to believe anymore.

* * *

 **Grocery store, Beika**

Rei had just filled his cart with canned food and cupped ramen - having decided that he wouldn't be eating much and shouldn't buy fresh food that would quickly go to waste - when he noticed a certain strawberry blonde on her toes, her hand extending toward a merchandise on a shelf above her head. The tip of her fingers was still a few inches away from the small spice mix bag.

Rei smiled. He walked toward the girl who didn't seem to have noticed him and fetched the bag from behind her.

"Let me get that for you."

She jumped and turned around. Her unexpected reaction made Rei want to chuckle.

"R-Armuro-san?"

"Curry powder..." Rei noticed as he read the title on the bag.

"We're having curry tonight," Shiho explained as she received the bag from Rei.

"Nice." Rei glanced at the content of Shiho's cart, ranging from vegetables to beef, and guessed that she had just finished her hunt for ingredients. "Ready to pay?"

"Yes. Let's go there." She walked toward the line with the least clients, and Rei stood behind her, in line. They didn't have much time to discuss about their diets, with Shiho expressing a few ironic remarks about Rei's "healthy diet of bunker food", before the clerk - a familiar lady who had attempted, but failed to beautify her average appearance through an excess of makeup - took care of Shiho's grocery.

"Hey, Tooru-kun! Nice to see you here," she chirped, displaying a smile she probably thought was seductive.

"Nice to see you, too, Yuki-chan."

"Is this your sister? You two look so different." Rei noticed Shiho's annoyance at the clerk's remark.

"No, she's actually a far relative of mine, whom I'm babysitting."

"She looks so cute." The clerk then spoke to Shiho with the patronizing tone of a good sister, "Hey there! I'm Yuki. What's your name?"

"Ai Haibara," Shiho replied in the monotonous tone that was atypical of eight-year-olds. Rei could feel that Shiho was hiding the urge to punch someone for the humiliation.

The clerk seemed shocked by the answer, but quickly found her smile and directed it at Rei.

"She's such a shy one, but she's so cute," she repeated the cliched compliment. Her voice then suddenly turned husky, perhaps for another attempt at being seductive. "By the way, are you free tonight, Tooru-kun? There a new bar that opened near here."

For some reasons, Rei could feel that Shiho's annoyance - or rather, anger - was growing. _Not humiliation?_ Rei suddenly realized the reason and smirked mentally.

"Oh, sorry. I don't think I can. I have to babysit her tonight." At the mention of Shiho, Rei put a hand on her shoulder, like a good brother. He could feel Shiho flinch slightly and imagine her cheeks turning red. _Cute..._

"Oh, I see." The lady seemed upset, but, as always, quickly returned to her excited expression. "How about tomorrow?"

"I'll need to see with my schedule. I'll call."

"Sure," the lady answered excitedly. "Together?" She was asking about the bill.

"Yes," Rei answered before Shiho could.

As Shiho and he exited the store, the girl took out a few bills from her wallet and handed it to Rei, "Here."

"Oh, don't bother. I won't be a good cousin if I let my eight-year-old little cousin pay for the grocery," Rei replied without accepting the bills.

"Fine, I owe you one."

"Really, don't worry about it. Just consider it as a gift to my little princess."

"I thought you already have a princess. "Yuki-chan", is it?" She quoted him with little emotion, but Rei could feel the hint of annoyance.

"Are you jealous?" he replied with an amused smile.

"Now, why would I grow jealous for a philanderer?" she rebuked coldly.

 _So, she really is jealous..._ Rei had confirmed his previous guess at the grocery store. _Shiho being jealous..._ Rei could feel his smile growing at the thought.

* * *

 **Agasa-hakase's mansion**

"Nice place you've got here," Rei complimented as he entered Agasa-hakase's spacious mansion, adorned by high-quality modern furniture. When he noticed the absence of human sounds, apart from Shiho's and his, Rei asked, "Where's Agasa-hakase?"

"He's out."

"A science conference?"

"Something like this," Shiho replied as she entered the kitchen and emptied her grocery bags. After washing the vegetables, she took out a knife a chopped the carrots.

"Here, I'll help," Rei announced as he took out another knife and peeled the potatoes' skin.

As they worked in silence, Rei suddenly remembered his encounter with Vermouth. _So, the BO is a also after the Phoenix..._ Should he warn Shiho? She had been through so much...

"Is something the matter?"

 _As perceptive as Conan-kun..._

"Not at all. Why?" he lied. He decided that assessing more the situation alone was better than worrying unnecessarily Shiho. As he noticed the girl's suspicious gaze, he added with a smirk, "Oh... are you worried about your Prince Charming, Shiho-chan?"

"Don't you dare call me that!" She blushed, and Rei chuckled.

Yes, it was best that he acted alone, for now.

The bell rang. _Agasa-hakase?_ However, when Rei opened the door, his surprise was written all across his face, "You..."

"Hello, Armuro-kun."

"Subaru Okiya..." _or should I say "Akai Shuichi"._ He was sure of the man's identity.

Of course, Akai was a good actor, pretending to be an awkward engineering student living at the famous Kudou Shinichi's house. This Subaru had perhaps even fooled the FBI. However, since his first meeting with Subaru, Rei detected this feeling of familiarity between Subaru and Rei's former university best friend. No, Rei couldn't be fooled. Thanks to all the time they spent together, Rei knew Akai like his own self, which was also the reason for his accurate performance as Scar Akai. Rei had since then searched for all types of clues to prove that Akai was alive and had gone undercover as Subaru.

Rei had found all the clues necessary to prove his theory and even confronted Subaru at his house **(A/N: Refer to the Scarlet Return (and sorry for the spoilers).)**. However, Rei had been fooled. He didn't know exactly how Akai had managed to be at two places at the time. Perhaps, Akai had a helper who disguised as him. Nevertheless, Rei was sure that the Subaru standing and smiling modestly in front of him was Akai Shuichi.

 _Akai Shuichi..._ They had been friends, but became archenemies... _when he killed Scotch, and later, even let Shiho's sister die..._ For the latter, Rei knew that he was as guilty as Akai, but Rei could never forgive Akai for his dear friend Scotch's murder, for the way Akai was holding the smoking gun, for his indifferent attitude after killing a fellow policeman...

 _To think that he even dared to acknowledge his involvement in this murder..._

Of course, Akai and Rei had temporarily formed an alliance, but Rei knew that, as soon as the BO would be brought down, he would avenge Scotch. He also knew he was the only who could do so, because he knew the top FBI agent Akai's greatest weakness.

"May I come in?" Subaru asked after Rei had been blocking for too long the doorway.

"Sure, make yourself comfortable." Rei knew that his cheerful smile couldn't hide the dark aura he was emitting.

"Who is it?" Shiho asked as she walked out of the kitchen to meet the visitor. "Subaru-san!"

"Hello, Princess! I thought you guys would like some homemade pickled radish."

Rei's jaw hardened. _How dare he address her this way? He is a murderer._

"Yes, thank you. Just leave it on the counter," Shiho replied as she went back to cooking her curry sauce.

Rei was about to help her when he felt his stomach churn again and ran to the bathroom. He emptied his already-empty-stomach. He had been fighting the dizziness and numbness all day, but, then, the feelings were unbearable. He suddenly shivered. When had the room become so cold? He tried to stand up, but the heaviness in his head made him stumble. The world seemed to be spinning around him, and the buzzing in his ears grew louder.

 _What's happening?_

He felt the pressure in his stomach again and directed his mouth toward the toilet bowl. He vomited. The smell of decay, of death, was stronger than ever.

"Armuro-san? You don't seem alright." Shiho had probably grown suspicious about his long absence and was standing at the doorway of the bathroom.

"It's fine. I just need to lie down. Just a bit sick. Probably indigestion." _No need to worry her._

All the subsequent events occurred like a blur as he fought his dizziness. As soon as he noticed, Rei was lying alone on the bed of one of the many guest rooms. The room was furnished with modesty, with only a bed, a closet, a nightstand and a lamp and without any decoration. Rei glanced tiredly at the floor. It was clean. Shiho probably cleaned every room frequently, just like how she took care of all the chores in the mansion. Sometimes, Rei wondered whether it was Agasa-hakase who took care of Shiho or the contrary. Suddenly, Rei noticed the tiny, elongated object on the floor.

 _A pencil?_ Perhaps the previous visitor had left it. He was about to go pick it up when he heard a knock at the opened door.

Shiho entered with a tray containing a glass of water and a bottle of pills. As she opened the bottle and took out two pills, Shiho explained that they will temporarily help Rei with his nausea, but he should still visit a doctor as soon as possible.

"I doubt it is a simple case of indigestion," she continued as she gave the pills and the glass to Rei, who lifted slightly his head, since he still didn't feel well enough to sit up.

Suddenly, Shiho covered part of his forehead with her hand.

"You don't seem to have a fever."

A gush of strong, sweet vanilla shampoo perfume invaded Rei's nose. He realized that it had been a long time he could detect so clearly a smell, apart from his own scent of decay. The numbness in his whole body had caused all his senses to deteriorate constantly.

The perfume was not necessarily sweet, but had an indescribable characteristic, one that stimulated his nose and made him hungry. _No, it isn't the shampoo,_ he suddenly realized. He couldn't pinpoint the origin of the scent, but knew that it had a more natural origin than the vanilla scent, that the scent he wanted to inhale as much as he could was part of a living being... part of Shiho.

 _This doesn't sound right..._ He gave little thought to the definitions of "right" and "wrong", because, at that moment, the attraction of the perfume was above all other thoughts in his usually rational mind. He also felt this irresistible warmth emanating from Shiho. It wasn't the ordinary body warmth; it was more, like the comforting heat of a blazing fire in a cold, snowy winter.

All Rei desired at the moment was to be closer to this source of warmth and divine attraction. Thus, he impulsively pulled on Shiho's thin forearm - an act he would never perform for the sake of dignity and long-lasting friendship - with his other arm surrounding her. Of course, Shiho fell on the bed. They ended up in a position where Rei was hugging Shiho from the behind, his arms tightly surrounding her.

"What do you think you're...?" Rei felt that Shiho was ready to slay him. He had no idea what caused his body to react in such way.

In any normal situations, he would have felt ashamed, but, at that moment, with his mind clouded by a growing numbness and every inch of his body desiring the incomparably godly warmth and presence, he let himself satisfy his dark desire. He was breathing in the strawberry blonde hair and inhaling and devouring the unique and tempting scent that was even stronger than his excess of cologne. He could feel the warmth surrounding him, isolating him from the cold world. The heat then permeated through his skin and body, and he wanted to be even closer. Rei hugged Shiho more tightly.

"Your body is cold," Shiho suddenly realized, her voice betraying her concern. Perhaps he was cold, colder than a corpse. Or else, why would a living body feel so warm?

"Perhaps, but you are so warm," he whispered in her ear, without considering much the words that came out of his mouth, perhaps due to his dizziness. "Let's stay like this, little princess."

Shiho's silence made him question whether he slipped. He thought that she would definitely punch him this time, but heard a tiny voice, "Lolicon."

Surprisingly, he didn't feel ashamed or offended. Perhaps, it was due to the embarrassment in her tone or the fact that she didn't struggle and stayed peacefully in her current state.

Rei didn't know how much time they had been in their current position. He had never felt so - simply said - comfortable. The divine warmth and perfume surrounded and tempted him. Although his nausea and numbness didn't seem to alleviate, the presence next to him was a nourishment to his own existence, a unique source of power for which he yearned more and more intensely. He wanted to move closer to this power to the extent of devouring it with his own presence.

Rei knew that, if anyone could read his mind, he or she would never understand and would probably believe he had an erotic penchant. He couldn't describe to them the truth that was different, either, because he, himself, couldn't comprehend it at the moment.

He only knew that the physical proximity was tempting and even crucial to his existence. He wanted so much to literally bit into the smooth skin and the soft flesh. _Wait a second..._ Rei realized with horror the place where his thoughts had gone to.

"Ai-kun! Come down for dinner!" Thankfully, Agasa-hakase interrupted his train of thoughts. Shiho moaned sleepily and rubbed her eyes, like a tiny kitten. She had probably fallen asleep and was languidly lifting herself up.

"Erm... I'll get going." Her cheeks were bright red as she pick up the tray. Rei decided that, probably, she wouldn't murder him for what he had done that day.

However, another growing pain was about to kill him. The warmth was gone, just like the perfume, and he craved intensely for them. Oh, how he wanted to attach himself to that divine source of power and life.

"Yikes!" His thoughts were interrupted again, but, this time, by Shiho, who had walked and slipped on the pencil. Perhaps she wasn't paying much attention due to her sleepiness.

The glass had shattered on the hard floor, and Shiho, cheeks redder than ever, was going to pick them up.

"Don't...!" _Don't pick up glass shard with your bare hands!_ However, Rei didn't have the time to finish when Shiho slit open a small part of her hand with a glass shard. Rei noticed that sleepy and embarrassed Shiho was a clumsy one. He wondered if all her BO reflexes were slowly disappearing due to their lack of use in her significantly peaceful life.

Ignoring his nausea and numbness, Rei left the bed.

"Let me see," he said as he took her hand and examined the wound. It was a small one; no need to sew it. However, a few drops of blood was oozing out.

Rei suddenly noticed that the divine perfume was stronger than ever and seemed to pull him closer. Before he realized, Rei lifted Shiho's hand to her mouth and - as strangely as it sounded - instinctively licked off the blood. He could hear, but ignored Shiho's surprised gasp. The blood tasted like iron. Rei understood soon that the attraction didn't come from the taste, but from the sublime sensation of the contact of that red elixir with his skin, with his body.

Without much thought, he placed his mouth around the wound and literally drank - or rather, sucked - from it. Each drop of blood seemed to cure a bit of his dizziness and pain. He could feel each particle of his body being refilled with life, and he wanted more of that godly elixir.

Shiho seemed dazed about his behavior for a while, before she realized what he was actually doing and ordered with the coldest tone she had, "Let go."

He couldn't. He needed that iron-scented red wine.

"Let go, Rei." The although calm voice betrayed her horror.

He didn't. At that moment, she hit him, not with a slap, but with a punch so hard that, if she had been in Shiho's real adult body, Rei's jaw would have broke. The painful blow temporarily woke Rei from his dark desire.

"What was that?" Her voice showed a mixture of emotions, from mortification to a feeling of betrayal. Rei couldn't answer her, because he didn't know what happened either.

"I didn't know you have this kind of fetish. Do you think that you are a vampire?" Her voice had grown darker after she calmed down. Rei had the scary impression that she hated him.

"Oh... sorry... I didn't know what happened... maybe I was just tired? I'll go get the bandages..." he stuttered.

"I'll go get them." Shiho's tone felt like a knife that had just cut the thread of friendship they shared.

"Alright. I'll clean up, here." Rei wasn't sure if Shiho had heard him, since she furiously walked straight out of the room, not throwing him a single glance.

Rei had never felt so - simply said - bad. Physically, his body felt slightly better, the nausea having disappeared. However, mentally, he knew he had committed an unforgivable crime, its motive still a mystery for him.

* * *

TBC

End of Chapter 2 - Wake of the Phoenix (hint: and this may mean that the Phoenix has awoken)

Chapter 3: What do you think is happening to Rei? Why is the FBI there? What about Rei's mission?

Thanks for sharing your opinions!


	7. Chapter 3 - Call of the Phoenix - 1

[Modified: added Review Answer Panel]

Hey guys!

Thank you for your patience and all these heartwarming reviews.

I just want to say that I didn't abandon this story. Don't worry. My life has been pretty busy, and I didn't have much time to write. That said, here is the next chapter of my story.

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Review Answer Panel (TBC?)**

Hello! Here, I will answer all your inquiries in your reviews as best as I can without spoiling the story. :)

\- Vermouth and Ano Kata: Some of you have been wondering about the relationship between these two. I can tell you that they do have a special connection. Sometimes, knowing the origin of some family names in my fanfic can help. The rest is to be found out!

\- Rei = vampire? Perhaps? Perhaps not? ;)

\- Chapter 1: Vermouth said that Ano Kata can't kill her?! (Sharp eyes, Actress Chris vineyard.) It is related to eternal youth, but not completely. You're on the right track.

* * *

Reminder: the names, places and other elements in the story are fruits of fiction. Any resemblances to reality are coincidences.

 **Chapter 3 - Call of the Phoenix**

* * *

 **A bar, New York, USA, late 1970s  
**

"Same as always?" the bartender asked as she reached for a couple of bottles in the back.

"Yeah," Shari replied as she, exhausted, leaned against the wooden counter.

" 'Business must be going well. The guys are all crazy for you," the bartender continued as she shifted her gaze to some drunk clients who were staring at Shari lecherously.

"That's good," Shari answered indifferently as she wiped her sweat with a handkerchief. At the suggestion of the bar owner, who had noticed the opportunity in turning the run-down bar into a flourishing business thanks to her performances, Shari had sung and danced longer than ever. Now, she would love to sit down if the chairs weren't reserved for clients.

"Here you go, hon."

"Thanks, Daisy," Shari replied before downing the whole glass of cocktail. The faintly sweet, but caustic liquid burned her tongue and throat. She loved this sensation. It kept her alive in this disgusting, infectious world of 'living deads'.

It was perhaps by chance that she decided to glance toward the broken door during this fateful second.

The wooden door, with fading paint and blurry glasses, creaked inaudibly as a man entered the cacophony. His looks, attire and gait were so ordinary at first sight that he would seem invisible had he walked across a stage during a performance by others.

Nevertheless, as Shari observed more thoroughly this new guest, she realized that the man was rather unique in appearance, and this 'supernatural' power of concealment was the fruit of the man's own wits.

The man was so tall that his gaze seemed to be permanently filled with disdain as he glanced down at the tiny world and its simple-minded 'runts'. However, this man rarely glanced at others and never in their eyes, not out of shyness, but of slyness. By avoiding bothering others, even with his gaze, the man received the same unspoken favor in return.

The man sat at a table and placed an order for the servant in a voice so low that it seemed conspiratorial. Compared to the other clients, who spoke with loud voices and exaggerated motion, especially in their drunken states, the man looked like a statue, only moving his lips when talking or the necessary muscles to perform his tasks.

As his arms rested on the table, Shari could distinguish hints of bumps under the long sleeves, indicating muscles strengthened by years of training.

 _A cop?_ Shari thought as she took the refilled glass from Daisy. The man was too... unique to be one of the street gangsters hanging around the district.

"Who's the new guy?"

"Not really new. 'Just had stopped hanging around before you worked here," Daisy replied as she fetched the bottles needed for the man's order. "You've heard of the Black Snakes?"

"No."

"Not familiar with the underworld, hon?"

"It's never interesting."

Daisy smiled mysteriously. "That guy, she began as she lifted her chin toward the man's direction, is the boss of the Black Snakes, the leading group in the district."

"Now that's interesting." Shari had been with influential politicians and businessmen. How hard would it be to steal a gang leader's heart?

" 'Word of advice: don't try your luck, hon. There's word going around that you can only join him, but never leave him."

"Oh?"

Daisy leaned forward, breathing on Shari's ear, and whispered, "This man killed all his former lovers." Daisy then leaned back and resumed her ordinary voice, "So take my advice to heart, will you, hon?"

However, it was already too late. Shari, like a moth, mesmerized by the candlelight, circling its way toward the flame of doom, had decided to serve the man his drink.

"Shari, hon, I love you, you know that? You'll be landing straight into a death trap."

"Well, it won't be different from this life," Shari replied with her gaze already set on her target.

She heard Daisy sigh, but she couldn't care less. She knew that this man was the 'right one'. Perhaps the man was then only a New York gang leader wanted by the police, but Shari could feel a unique hidden strength in him that would transform him into or bring her to the most influential man she would have the chance to meet. All her life had been "all or nothing", and she was ready to take a gamble.

"Here you go," Shari announced as she put the glass in front of the man, who seemed indifferent to her action. "You seem new here. I'm Shari. If you stay a bit longer, you'll see me sing."

Eyes locked on an invisible object in front of him, the man took a sip from the glass, but didn't say a word.

"Mind if I join you?"

At the man's silence, Shari pulled the chair next to him and was about to sit down when the man finally spoke in an impassive tone, "Hasn't your friend over there (He glanced toward Daisy.) talked about me?"

 _So he was watching us... no, he was watching everything, although he never seemed to. Such a sly man._

"Yeah. She told me that you're a dangerous man."

"Doesn't that frighten you?"

"It excites me."

"You sure are a young one," the man noticed with an amused smile.

"Then, show me just how dangerous things can be."

The man kept his smile, and, for the first time, stared in Shari's eyes with his gaze that seemed to read and mock even the most hidden thought of its victim. Anyone unprepared would have looked away, but Shari had predicted this man's frightening power and stared back with her trademark seductive smile.

From her countless encounters, Shari knew that the man would sooner or later acknowledge her, but, perhaps she really was too young to understand that she had more to lose than she thought.

* * *

 **Japan, present  
**

The train station was filled with busy travelers, armed with business attire, suitcases and handbags. Everyone had too many dreams and destinations in mind to stop and observe others. No one had thus noticed the silver-haired man concealed by his black trenchcoat. The man leaned still against a circular pillar, holding a lit cigarette between his fingers. His eyes, glittering in the shadow of his black fedora, surveyed the crowd with their dark glance conveying nicotine-suppressed madness.

"How was the little reunion?" a female voice asked with a hint of irony.

From the corner of his eye, the man noticed a black wig, a fake nose, and colored contacts, all worn with such expertise that they seemed to be part of their owner. The man could feel his blood boil. He didn't particularly dislike the remark. Rather, he despised the woman, herself, and her mysterious, intimate relationship with the man he respected the most. As a child, he had thought that he was the one that _that person_ trusted the most, but his delusion was destroyed when he had caught, by chance, a unique glance that _that person_ \- whose impassible expression had become his trademark - had given to the woman. A small flame of irritation had begun burning in him and grew into a dark fire of loathing as he witnessed countless times when _that person_ only confided to _her_.

He knew that, if she provoked him more with her trademark irritating smile, even nicotine couldn't help with his barely mitigated bloodthirst. He decided to go straight to the point.

"Ano Kata is growing impatient."

"He is," the woman agreed lightly.

"We'll proceed to Plan B."

"That's pretty conspicuous."

"We don't have much time for a cat and mouse chase. We need the mouse to come out of its own. We just need to do a better cleaning job," he finished.

The woman was silent. Although he could not read her expression, he knew that she was in disagreement.

 _That's too bad_ , he thought with a feeling of triumph that he knew was immature. At least, the bloodthirst was gone.

* * *

 **The next day**

Perhaps he really was turning into a vampire.

As far as Rei could remember, in both his careers as a detective and BO member - who sometimes had to fight bloody battles, he never held an attraction toward blood. He was even disgusted by blood as a dish, when he first tasted a blood curd in a hot pot restaurant.

Thus, Rei couldn't believe that, the night before, he had committed such an outrageous act. Although Shiho didn't mean what she said, she still hinted Rei toward a possible explanation for his strange behavior.

 _Wait... what am I thinking? Vampires don't exist..._ How could Rei, a detective - or guardian of scientific reasoning, even think of justifying a phenomenon through theories concerning supernatural creatures?

Still, faced with choosing between a dead end and an unscientific theory, Rei decided that the latter was better. This choice led him to his current position, which seemed completely professional to the confused policemen and totally foolish to any experienced sane detectives, had one walked by.

Kneeling near the fresh gory corpse whose death once again proved a detective's nature as a 'death magnet', Rei slowly leaned toward the red puddle spreading from behind the body. Inspired by popular movies and novels, Rei told himself that, if he indeed turned into a vampire, he wouldn't resist the temptation of drinking such a large quantity of blood.

"Um..."

Rei slightly turned his head toward the origin of the sound, a boy young enough to be a novice in the field who shyly asked, "Is there something special about the blood?"

"Just making sure," Rei managed to answer in a professional tone. The boy seemed satisfied with the answer and stayed observing with intellectual curiosity his 'mentor' before he was called by a higher ranking officer.

Rei steadily leaned closer to the puddle. His nose was now so close to the blood and the thank-God-not-yet-rotten body that it seemed to touch the ground. He could detect, among other body and material odors, the ferric scent of blood.

 _Still no reaction..._

"This won't do."

Rei flinched. The owner of the voice had approached him with such discretion when Rei's mind was preoccupied that he didn't detect anyone. Even more surprising and worrying was the meaning of the words.

"What do you mean?" Rei began cautiously as he turned his gaze toward a seemingly more experienced policeman. For a second, Rei thought he distinguished mischief in the man's eyes.

"The blood. If you have suspicions, we should send it to the lab and get it analyzed."

 _So, I was just paranoid. He's just an ordinary policeman who's serious about his work._

Rei suddenly felt at peace and added with a more confident tone, "You're right. I was confirming something. I just don't want the forensic team to waste its efforts."

"That's considerate of yours, the man began, but don't take too much time. Sometimes, an extraordinary thing is so well hidden that you need 'special' means to find it."

The policeman's words were becoming arcane and off-topic. As Rei concentrated his thoughts on the man, he could suddenly detect a familiar aura. Rei was then sure that the mischievous glance wasn't part of his imagination.

 _'He' isn't a policeman._

"Thanks for the advice," he began with a smirk. "You seem pretty knowledgeable in this field, especially about this murder, he added with emphasis. Mind giving me some hints?"

"Seems like a bad case of robbery with a lot of struggle."

"It certainly is, and you must have had a lot of fun," Rei remarked with irony.

Suddenly, the austere expression of the policeman turned into a seductively mischievous one. Even the 'man's' tone changed into that of 'his' true self.

"That's rude," Vermouth replied with playfulness. "I'm more refined than this."

 _So, she's in charge of the clean-up._

"Come to think of it, this body reeks of alcohol... perhaps of gin," Rei finished as he glanced inquisitively toward Vermouth. A secretive smile appeared on her face.

 _So, it is him... but why?_

He got his answer when a familiar trio - an old man, a hulk and a blonde with glasses - approached the crime scene. Rei felt his mouth turn bitter at the invasion.

 _The FBI. Why didn't they leave Japan?_

Rei didn't have much time to express his disagreement with the FBI's involvement, before the chief officer let the trio take over the case under the claim that the victim was one of their agents. Rei's only consolation was that he now was sure of his guess about the motive.

 _An undercover agent who wasn't careful enough..._ Rei thought as he took one last look of the body.

As he headed toward his home, his mind was then suddenly occupied by the 'policeman's' strange riddle.

 _No, I don't have time for this._ Rei still had to catch Shiho after school. Her mood didn't seem to have improved enough during the previous night for him to apologize effectively. Rei repetitively practiced his apology as he headed toward Shiho's school.

The worst scenario he could then imagine was being ignored for another day. However, a greater disaster, the fruit of a conspiracy, would submerge him in guilt.

* * *

Chapter 3 TBC


	8. AUTHOR'S NOTE AND NEW ACCOUNT

**Dear readers,**

 **Thank you for your support during all this time, and sorry for the long, long wait.**

 **I have been busy with life, school and family issues. The past years have been filled with emotional hurdles for me. I couldn't concentrate on writing this fic. Fortunately, things have become better.**

 **I am now determined to continue this fic.**

 **I would also like to thank Actress Chris vineyard for her encouraging PMs and all the readers who reviewed or simply took their to read my story. You are the reasons why I want to finish this story.**

Also, I am moving to Wattpad because it offers a wider range of options. I will be making future updates of my story _Project Phoenix_ there.

Wattpad is one of the biggest platforms for writers. My works there will be free to read. You will not need to create an account or anything, but I've heard that the site sometimes forces you to sign up. If you have to, don't worry. It's very simple. You can connect with your Facebook or your email. There's no credit card number required. IT IS DEFINITELY NOT A SCAM.

If you're still interested in reading more of _Project Phoenix_ and (maybe) seeing the end of it, this is my account: user/mellonelyqueen

Thank you for your support and patience!


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